How users perceive online security and what they do to protect themselves

Siber Systems, a software productivity tools provider and the creator of the RoboForm password manager, has released a study that analyzes the gap between how users perceive online security and what they’re willing to do to protect their personal details.

60% of users from various countries – including the UK, the US and Germany – believe that companies are careless when it comes to protecting the personal details of their customers. Furthermore, 31% don’t put too much trust in organizations that rely on cloud computing to safeguard their data.

Almost 30% of respondents have admitted that at least one of their accounts has been breached. 53% of them had their email hacked, 29% had their social media account hacked, and 23% had their online shopping accounts broken into by malicious actors.

Despite the fact that cybercriminal operations represent a real threat, few internauts improve their security practices.

Close to 80% of the subjects revealed that they continued to use the website linked to their hacked accounts. One out of three occasionally uses the same password for both home- and work-related accounts.

But the most interesting finding is related to the more secure login practices deployed these days by some websites. For instance, when it comes to two-factor authentication – where a second password is sent to the user’s phone – 13% of respondents believe that such mechanisms are “too complicated.”

Furthermore, 26% of them say they don’t have time to go through such a process. On the other hand, 42% of users say they would trust companies that deploy such security systems.

Interestingly, 55% of respondents aged over 45 believe that it’s their own responsibility to protect their personal information. 58% of those under 45 argue that the online company should be responsible.

“The Siber Systems RoboForm Online Security Survey shows that, like many things in life, people complain about the safety of their information online—but few are willing to take firm steps to protect that information,” noted Bill Carey, Siber Systems VP of marketing.

“In an era where more of our data—our health information, our purchasing practices, our correspondence and even information about our family and friends—is online, it's more important than ever to take online security seriously.”